Work bench



Oct. 31, 1961 H. J. coNDlT 3,006,108

WORK BENCH Filed July 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct 31, 1961 H. J. coNDlT 3,006,108

WORK BENCH Filed July 27, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N V EN TOR.

3,5%,198 WRK BENCH Harry J. Condit, dt-2l N. Merced Ave., Baldwin Parli, Calif., assigner to Harry l. Condit and Ruth M. Condit Filed July 27, 195%, Ser. No. $29,707 Claims. (Cl. iS-Hi8) This invention provides an improved work bench used in upholstering furniture.

Prior to this invention, a typical furniture upholstery job was done in a relatively makeshift and unorgaru'zed manner. The furniture was usually placed on saw horses, and the various webbing, twine, and tools needed for the job were disposed `around the working area with little thought given to organized location of the Working mate rials. As a consequence, such upholstering operations involved many needless steps, and were ineflicient.

This invention provides a compact, rugged, lightweight work bench adapted to hold a piece of furniture in the various positions necessary to complete an upholstering job. The materials and tools needed for the work are disposed `around the work area in which the furniture is located to reduce the amount of moving around required of a workman to finish the job, and to improve the elliciency of the workrnan.

Briefly, this invention contemplates a work bench which includes a pair o-f elongated, laterally spaced substantially parallel and horizontal support bars on which a piece of furniture to be upholstered may be supported. Depending legs support the bars, and dispensing means for webbing, twine, and the like, are mounted on the bench at laterally spaced locations around a central area of the bench.

The preferred form of the invention includes at least one horizontal working shelf disposed at one end of the bars and lying in the same plane. -Upright pegs are mounted on the working shelf lfor temporarily securing lengths of twine. The preferred form of the invention also includes a rotatable table constructed and arranged to be detachably mountable on the bars to support articles such as small chairs, footstools, individual seats, cushions, pillows, and the like, which need to be revolved often as they are worked on.

These `and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a side elevation of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the work bench shown in FIG. l;

FlG. 3 is an elevation of the left end of the work bench shown in FIG. l;

FlG, 4 is an elevation of the right end of the work bench shown in FIG. l;

FlG. 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the rotary table mounted on the top of the work bench; and

FluS. 6 through 9 are schematic transverse sectional views of the work bench with a chair mounted on it in different positions for upholstering operations.

Referring to FIGS. l through 4, a work bench 1d includes a pair of elongated, laterally spaced, horizontal and parallel bars l2, each having its upper surface covered by a protective pad 14 of suitable material such as sisal. A separate cross piece 16 is secured to the under portions of adjacent ends of the bars. Each cross piece 16 is attached to the upper end of la respective upwardly opening U-shaped leg i3 which is disposed transverse to the longitudinal axis of the bench and extends downwardly and outwardly. A pair of longitudinal horidhdd Patented Get. 3l, 1961 zontal and parallel braces 20 are each connected at their ends to an intermediate portion of a respective upright portion of the legs 1S so that there is a respective long1- tudinal brace under each bar of the bench. A storage shelf 22 is mounted on the longitudinal braces 20, and is cantilevered at its left end (as viewed in FIG. l) to extend beyond the left ends of the bars. A rst pair of `generally upright C-shaped braces 24 are attached to the left ends of the bars, and to the lower portion of the U-shaped leg at the left end of the bench. A first horizontal working shelf 26 is mounted on the top of the iirst pair of @shaped braces to `lie in the plane of the bars over the cantilevered portion of the storage shelf. The iirst working shelf includes. three laterally spaced upright pegs 2S lused as described below. The left end of the working shelf has a plurality of laterally spaced slots Sti, the ends of which are enclosed by a strip 32 secured to the left end of the first working shelf to form a tool rack in which tools such as a screw driver 34 can be sto-red. The working shelf has a vertical opening 36 through it overlying the cantilevered end of the storage shelf on `which rests a relatively large spool of button twine 38, and smaller spools of sewing twine d@ and back spring twine 4t2. Each spool of twine has a length extending up through the opening in the working shelf so that it is readily accessible for use on an article of furniture supported on the central portion of the bench.

rl`he right end (as viewed in FIG. l) of the work bench includes a pair of generally upright C-shaped clamps 44 each secured at their respective upper ends to the right end of a respective bar and at their lower ends at the right leg of the work bench. A rotatable roll of seat spring twine 46 is mounted on a lower horizontal transverse shaft 48 secured across` the C-shaped braces 44. A length o-f the seat spring twine extends up through a vertical opening 50 in a second working shelf 52 secured across the upper ends of the C-shaped braces 44. The second working shelf also may include laterally spaced upwardly extending pegs 54 used as described below.

Four laterally spaced rotatable rolls of webbing are mounted on an upper transverse shaft 5S secured at each end to an upper portion of -a respective C-shaped brace 44. The upper end of webbing oft of each roll 56 extends up through a transverse slit 60 fonned in the central portion of the second working shelf so that each ywebbing is readily accessible for application to a piece of furniture supported on the central portion ofthe bench.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the storage shelf includes in its middle portion a notch 62 at one edge in which are disposed four rotatable rolls 64 of webbing mounted on ya longitudinal rotatable shaft 66 journaled in the notch 62. The upper end of each roll of webbing 64 is draped over a longitudinal rung 68 secured to the under side of the nearest bar l2 (as viewed in FIG. l).

The legs and braces of the work bench may be of any suitable material, 'out preferably are of tubular steel because of its strong, lightweight characteristics. The bars may likewise be of any suitable material, but conveniently are of wood, as are the working and storage shelves.

Referring to FIG. 5, a rotary table assembly 7G includes a platform 72 releasably secured to the upper surfaces of the bars by vertical bolts 74 extending down through the platform and a pair of transverse rigid straps 7o secured to the underside of the bars by wing nuts '78. A turntable gli, which may be square, circular, or any other shape in plan view has a plurality of casters SZ mounted on its lower surface and adapted to roll yaround on the platform, which may be plywood covered with l2-gauge sheet metal. The turntable is rest-rained from lateral movement by a downwardly extending collar 84 secured to the central portion of the turntable and disposed around an upwardly extending vertical stub shaft 86 secured at its lower end to an outwardly extending flange 88 mounted on the upper surface of the platform. The collar 84 makes a rotatable sliding fit on the stub shaft so that the table is free to turn about an upright axis, but is restrained from lateral movement. The table is particularly useful when working on articles such as individual seats, cushions, pillows, footstools, small chairs, and the like, which must be turned fairly often during the course o-f a job.

FIGS. 6 through 9 show how a chair 88 can easily be supported on the bars 12 of the work bench in the variout positions necessary to work with facility in completing an upholstering job. As will be appreciated with reference to FIGS. l and 2, a chair located in a central area of the work bench is disposed so that it is surrounded by the various dispensers of twine and webbing, thereby facilitating work on the chair and greatly reducing the number of steps required to do a particular job. The upright pegs on the working shelves are used to secure lengths of twine temporarily while binding springs and the like, and often do the work f an extra man.

I claim:

l. A work bench for upliolstering furniture comprising a pair of elongated laterally spaced substantially parallel and horizont-al suppont bars, a` resiliently yieldable layer o-f material on the upper side of each support bar, a rigid crossbar adjacent each end of the support bars extending between the support bars and fixed to each support bar, an upwardly opening U-shaped support leg adjacent each end of the support bars and extending downwardly therefrom with the ends of each support leg fixed to the crossbar adjacent that end of the support bars, a horizontal shelf extending between the support bars in the plane of the support bars at each end of the support bars and extending outwardly from the ends of the support bars in the direction of the elongate extent of the support bars, each shelf defining a plurality of apertures extending through it, a plurality of vertically extending pegs fixed to the upper surface of each shelf and extending upwardly therefrom, a pair of C-shaped support brackets at each end of the support bars and curving outwardly from the ends of the support bars, each pair of support brackets being aligned and having a portion extending in the direction of the elongate extent of the support bars `and engaging the underside of the shelf at that end of the support bars with their aligned ends each engaging the end of one of the support bars and their other aligned ends each engaging one side of the support leg at that end of the support bars at a point intermediate the support bars and the end of the support leg remote from the support bars, a pair of horizontal -laterally spaced braces disposed intermediate the support bars, each of the braces extending between the support legs and being fixed one to each side of each support leg, a horizontal elongated support shelf disposed on the braces and extending from one support leg to the other support leg and beyond at least one support leg to the outermost extremity of the pair of support brackets fixed to that support leg, said support shelf defining a notch intermediate its ends and between the support legs extending yfrom one edge of the support shelf inwardly transversely to the elongate extent of the support shelf -to adjacent the mid-point of fthe support shelf, a shaft extending in the direction of the elongate extent of the support shelf over the notch, and means for mounting the shaft on the support shelf.

2. Apparatus in accordance with cla-im 1 wherein a platform member extends horizontalty between fthe support bars intermediate the ends of the support bars, means for releasably fixing the platform member to the support bars, a table spaced fro-m the platform member and having an upper horizontal surface, and means for rotatably connecting the table to the platform member for rotation of the table relative to the platform member about a vertical axis.

3. A work bench for upholstering furniture comprising a pair of elongated laterally spaced substantially parallel and horizontal support bars, a rigid crossbar adjacent eaeh end of lthe support bars extending between the support bars and fixed to each support bar, a support leg adjacent each end of the support bars and extending downwardly therefrom with an end of eac-h support leg fixed to the support bars adjacent that end of the support bars, a horizontal shelf extending between the support bars in the plane of the support bars at at least one end of the suppont bars and extending in the direction of the elongate extent of the support bars, and a horizontal elongated support shelf extending between the support legs and fixed thereto, said support shelf being disposed intermediate the support bars and the ends of the support legs remote from the support bars.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein a platform member extends horizontally between the support bars intermediate the ends of the support bars, means for releasably fixing the platform member to the support bars, a table spaced from .the platform member and han/ing an upper horizontal surface, and means for rotatably connecting the table to the platform member for rotation of the table relative to the platform member about a vertical axis.

5. A work bench for upholstering furniture comprising a pair of elongated laterally spaced substantially parallel and horizontal support bars, a rigid crossbar adjacent each end of the support bars extending between the support bars and fixed to each support bar, a support leg adjacent each end of the support bars Iand extending downwardly therefrom with an end of each support leg fixed to the support bars adjacent that end of the support bars, a horizontal shelf extending between the support bars in the plane of the support bars at at least one end of (the support bars and extending in the direction of the elongate extent of the support bars,

`a plurality of vertically extending pegs fixed to the upper References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 431,080 Shute July 1, 1890 1,145,663 Barr July 6, 1915 1,717,217 lzan June 11, 1929 1,997,742 Predovich Apr. 16, 1935 

